Fulham's caretaker boss Kit Symons admitted Norwich City's Championship scalp may tip the balance in his bid to claim the job on a permanent basis.

Symons is reportedly on a three-man shortlist, which includes former Canaries chief Chris Hughton, to succeed Felix Magath at Craven Cottage.

Fulham's stand-in manager has now plotted three league wins out of four after a dire start to the new season, but Symons insisted beating the league leaders had topped the lot.

'They weren't top of the table for no reason. At times we rode our luck and I am sure that Norwich would say a draw would have been a fair result,' he said. 'From my point of view, the least you've got to do is get what you deserve and if you can nick a little bit more than so be it.

'All the time I'm in situ in this position I'll just keep doing what I do – that's working as hard as I can on the training pitch and trying to win games for this great football club.

'I'm pretty sure three points as often as possible is not going to hurt my chances. I'll just keep plugging away. Nothing has been said (about an announcement). It won't be a rushed decision, it will be considered and it will be the right decision when it's made.'

Symons hailed his side's fighting spirit to repel Norwich in a frenetic final quarter.

'It was a display full of character and commitment, which I was delighted with,' he said. 'Games like that do give you a great deal of satisfaction, but more importantly they give the players a lot of belief that they can win games in that manner.

'Beating Bolton in the way we did was fantastic and that's great. I would like more of them, trust me, but also you need to be involved in games like this and come through.

'There was a lot of defending out there and an awful lot of tired players in the dressing room, but they're very, very pleased. What I said to the guys before this game was that in the Middlesbrough game we felt like we played quite well and should have got something out of it, so I told them to make sure they got what they deserved.'

Sean Kavanagh's maiden senior strike for the Cottagers settled the outcome, although Fulham earned a spot-kick reprieve when Lewis Grabban hammered his penalty against the bar.

'I was a little bit aggrieved at the time, as I am sure you can imagine. It was a soft one to be given,' said Symons. 'I understand their camp appealing for it, I am sure I would have done the same if it had been one of our players. I thought Cameron Jerome is a top player, a wily player who has been in those positions lots of times, and Dan Burn got a little bit too tight and too square and gave the opportunity for the referee to give it. I was very pleased to see it hit the bar, I know that much.

'For Sean to score his first senior goal, and for it to be a winning one against the top of the table, is one he'll remember for a long time. Sean's a player I know very well from the under-18s and under-21s and I have got to say I wouldn't wish that ball to fall to anyone else's left foot other than Sean, who's got a wonderful left foot.'